The Lost Angeles
by Jay Flemming
Summary: AU Fanfic Summary: Buffy Stays In LA after the Events of Becoming Part 2... Trying to be the Slayer in a town as big and bad as LA was never going to be easy. Buffy Summers is in for the fight of her life, but she won't fight alone. With an apocalypse looming and evil about, she finds new allies and a whole new world where she's needed.
1. Chapter 1: To Stay and Slay

**Lost Angeles**

 **Chapter 1...** _**To Stay and Slay**_

 **"Great... this was a new shirt."** Buffy said angrily to herself as she studied the dust of the recently staked creature of the night staining the white sweater in the dirty mirror. It was her first new anything in a long time. Six months in Los Angeles, and she still found herself alone in the same small apartment. She'd done what she could to make the place home, a small flower pot on the one cracked window sill, a couple of posters of local bands covered the most obvious holes and mold. She even fixed the leaky sink, surprising the buildings irresponsible super. The water now only dripped every other day.

She'd managed to salvage a television with only one damaged knob. It got two channels, static, and less static. The latter occasionally picked up the news, not that it was worth looking at even then. Los Angeles wasn't like Sunnydale. The evening news wasn't always the latest grim murder, yet that was somehow worse in Buffy's eyes. It was if there were two worlds, and the news never seemed to care about what happened where Buffy resided. No, everything was always movie premieres and shiny weathermen chattering on about nothing important. She rubbed her shoulder where the latest creep had managed to get in a decent bruise, but somehow it was less painful then the last time she'd remembered it.

Buffy took her time removing her clothes, filling the small sink in her kitchen with water and soap, and then began to slowly wash out her clothes. The noise of a city approaching the middle of the night came through the adjacent open window, sirens' wailed, and the tenement house across the way echoed with the sounds of a squabbling couple. Buffy sighed, hoping that the stain would wash clean, but continually disappointed with the results. At least her bed was a little softer then when she'd moved in, she'd been paid in a mattress form after saving the owner of the local mattress emporium from a couple of ignorant vamps.  
 **  
"Rent!"** came the sound of a older man's voice from down the hall. The thin walls made it sound almost as if the old man was next to Buffy. She could even smell landlord's garlicky breath, and she made a face as she recalled their last run in. He was a cruel man with an even crueler voice, and she was sure it was only due to luck that she hadn't ended him last month when he saw him punch a fellow tenant in the stomach for the lightest of offenses. Still this wasn't Sunnydale, and Anne wasn't someone who could risk assaulting a human, even if he was vile piece of work. He somehow reminded her of Ted... **"Ugh ...Ted"** she said aloud finally breaking the silence of the room.

She hung the sweater over the barely working radiator, hoping it would dry just a little faster, and got dressed in one of the few outfits that was still in decent shape, and tied her hair back, tired of messing with it's slightly to long appearance. It had been months she'd gotten it cut, but somehow it mattered less to her. This wasn't much of a life, but she figured it was better then one spent having constantly apologize for what she'd done. Here at least she could still be the slayer, she didn't have to have grand plans, or worry about the future. There wasn't anyone of hers to care about getting hurt or injured, no one to worry about but herself and living another day. She could just...be...

She flopped down on the bed, tired from yet another day of working two jobs, the first at the second diner in as many months, and the other as the slayer. She missed her old life, and mused about what funny thing Xander might be saying, and how Willow would chuckle, Cordelia would scowl, and Giles would say something British and charming and funny in a completely different way. She wondered about her mother, about how much pain she must be in. But most of all, she wondered about Angel... where he'd gone... if he was still alive.

The television finally squawked to life, finally broadcasting one of the far and few between news reports.

STATIC " _-several officers of the LAPD were qouted-"_ STATIC

" _-unusual bite marks-_ " STATIC " _work of stray dogs_ "STATIC

" _victims completely drain-_ "STATIC " _near south cental aven-_ "STATIC

Buffy perked up. That didn't sound like any stray dog's she'd heard of. She got to her feet, looking over to the small rusty refrigerator. Her stomach rumbled, and there were at least a dozen safer options then going out once again into the cold. She wondered if this might be the last time, again for hundredth time. The moment of indecision passed though. She was alone, there wasn't anyone to tell her stop, no one to say rest up for the night. There was only the four mostly barren walls, and Mister Pointy, and her deciding to enter the fray one more time.  
 **  
"What do you say Senior Pointy? One more round?"**

 **"As I live and breath..."** the voice echoed down a small back alley adjacent to a large warehouse. The night sky above threatened to open up, as a roll of thunder echoed through the Badlands of Los Angeles, and area where few but the brave dared to tread during daylight, and none but the foolhardy after sundown.

 **"But...you don't breath Jack."** said a nearby heavy set vampire who looked on eagerly at the innocent victim who was about to be devoured. Another vampire, female and clad in what looked to be street punk garb hung close, hissing as she too prepared to feed.  
 **  
"It's a figure of speech Hodge,"** The vampire said exasperated. The tall dark creature wearing a hoodie stood with two other vampires, holding a young woman who was squirming trying to get free.

The heavy set vampire still seemed confused.

 **"I'm not gonna spell it out for you, geez, watch some western's sometime will ya'?"** Jack spat out.

 **"Let's just eat already."** the female vamp said growing restless. Lorna was dressed like a common housewife, if said housewife had been eaten and a demon had taken up residence in her corpse.  
 **  
"Now, now, Lorna this one gave us quite the run, I think we've earned a little play time. Don't you pet?"** The tall vamp said menacingly. He bore a large red colored mohawk, and his face was covered with tatoo's and piercings. He tossed the girl to Hodge, and chuckled.

 **"Let me go! Or-"** , a feisty dark skinned girl said, struggling in vain to free herself. The girl was sweating heavily, having just missed escaping the small pack.

 **"Or what, ain't no one here sweetie. Now... how's about you give us kiss. "** Hodge said as he bore his fangs and prepared to bite into the small morsel in front of him.  
 **  
"Kiss this-"** Came a yell from atop a nearby car. There a figure in a black coat with fingerless gloves fired a crossbow that flew with potent accuracy, slamming into the chest of the monster that held Alonna aloft.

 **"It's a set-"** The words left Hodges' mouth as he grimaced, and turned to ash. Now free, Alonna turned and ran. Several other teenagers popped up from their hiding places completing the ambush.

The female vampire turned to see Charles Gunn, clad in black jeans and sneakers, with a t-shrit reading 'Malcom X', reloading.

 **"It's him!"** Jack said angrily. His face turning into the grim visage of vampire, and preparing to fight.

Jack turned his attention to the closest teen, a young man wielding a wooden stake. The boy struck hard, but missed the heart. Grabbing the spear, Hodge lifted the boy in the air and tossed him across the alley into a nearby car, knocking him out cold with a smash.

A young teenage girl and a partner tried to corner the female vamp with improvised stakes, but the creature of the night was too fast, in a short order one had her knee broken, and the other was knocked out. Lorna skulked off, clearly not interested in putting herself at any further risk.  
 **  
"Jason watch your back!"** Alonna called, as the young man tangled with Jack. Gun fired again but this time the bolt missed, hitting Jack in the shoulder. Removing the offending bolt, Jack rammed it into the arm of Jason, who dropped his stake and fell back, as Gunn moved up.

 **"Get out of here, take Alonna and the others..."** Gunn said as Jack was about to be on them.  
 **  
"But-"** Jason tried to protest.

 **"GO!"** Gunned yelled authoritatively, as he pulled a stake from his jacket.

 **"So, you're the one they call Gunn. Heard this was your turf. Dustin' our kind like it was nothing."** Jack said as he paced back and forth, he ran his hand threw his mohawk, and turned to look at Gunn.

 **"Apparently not, if you had you'd a never come here vamp."** Gunn said psyching himself up for the fight he knew might be too much for him.

 **"You think I'm afraid of a little human, you might be big with your 'bros', but against me, you're just another snack."** Jack said finally coming to a stop.

 **"I sure hear a lot of talkin'. We gonna fight or chat Oprah style? You don't know me** ** _Jack_** **, cause it'll take a hell of a lot more then one vampire to scare me."** Gunn replied defiantly

 **"How about five?"** Jack said with a smile. From around the corner came two more vampires, and another two seemed to drop down from the buildings to the left and right of Charles, who now found himself alone and out numbered. _We planned the ambush too close to the vamps nest,_ Gunn swore to himself silently.  
 **  
"Five to one? Seems a little one sided, sure you don't want to call for more backup?"** Gunn said as the vamp's approached. A crack of thunder rolled through, and Gunn took a breath ready to fight to the last.

 **"Hey... "** said a tiny voice at the end of the street. The vamps and Gunn all turned to see a small blonde teenager approaching with an extremely casual attitude. She was wearing a tattered yellow jacket, and tornup jeans, just the sort of garb someone might wear into the badlands if they were looking to get eaten.  
 **  
"You guy's having a dance off West Side story-like? 'cause I've gotta see that. Course the Jets' and the Sharks' were about even and this seems... well less fair."**

 **"Girl...get out of here!"** Gunn said as he tried to warn the girl off.

 **"No, let her stay, I enjoy having a living audience."** Jack signaled for two of his fellow vampires to grab the girl, and they approached, eagerly anticipating an easy mark.

Gunn then charged, catching Jack off guard, and crashing into the closest Vampire near him. Grabbing his stake he dusted the fiend, as Jack grabbed him from behind. Gunn elbowed his face, broke free and yelled out, warning the girl off again.  
 **  
"Look out!"**

 **"Oh, don't worry about me... I always put on a show."** Buffy said as she surprised the closest Vampire with a kick to the chest that sent him flying. The other vampire was stunned by the blow, and watched as the girl plunged a stake through his chest.

The fifth vampire approached the girl, this time engaging her fully, the element of surprise gone. The girl blocked each blow was timing and precision, and he could only growl as she flipped him over using her impressive leverage.

Jack continued to tangle with Gunn, his superior strength only negated by the speed and reflexes of a Gunn whose life had been spent fighting to survive similar odds. Still Gunn was at a distinct disadvantage, and a serious backhand from Jack send him spinning. As Gunn tried to rally, Jack took a moment to recognize who and what was attacking them. He'd heard of them, but-

He watched as Buffy slammed her fist into another Vampires face, knocking him for a loop.  
 **  
"The Slayer!? Screw this..."** He said aloud, and then retreated into the night, aware the odd's were no longer looking good.

Gunn got to his feet slowly, trying to recover his senses from the blow. The rain began too poor now, large fat rain drops that soaked anything uncovered, anything left open to the elements.

A few moments passed, as Buffy finished her fight with the last vamp, Having broken broken the fifth vampires' arm. The creature howled in pain, and Buffy approached. **"Not yet!",** the beast appealed strangely.

 **"Sorry, but Officer Krupke's not on duty tonight."** She quipped and staked him. Relaxing just slightly Buffy dropped her guard... as a figure leapt from atop a nearby hollowed out van and latched on to her back. Lorna, who had waited for the perfect moment to strike, finally had it. Buffy struggled, but Lorna held tight and bit down, beginning to feed.

Buffy screamed, but couldn't break the grip, and she could quickly feel the blood loss becoming critical. Her world began to fade... the colors of the dark night began to grey. _Maybe this time..._ She fell to her knees still within Lorna's grip. _Maybe I'll see Angel... maybe he's waiting for me... maybe... maybe..._


	2. Chapter 2: Handcuff's Are Your Friends

**Chapter 2... Handcuff's Are You're Friend**

There was light...wonderful warm light.

 _"Some people have a destiny, ya know. They got things they gotta do, like looking after annoying-"_

 _"That's not an excuse, you got lucky."_

 _"She was like an angel...or something worse."_

...

 _This isn't so bad._ Buffy said to herself, more bickering then she'd imagined but maybe angels were cranky without caffeine? She always figured actual heaven would have more wings, and less hip hop music, but still, Heaven. Also, why did heaven smell like mothballs...Wait, what?

 **"She's waking up."** said a young woman's voice that hovered nearby.

 **"Tyler shut that off."** Gun yelled out down the hall.  
 **  
"What... happened about me?"** Buffy said as she spoke up from her stupor.

Gunn stood nearby, wringing a cloth with blood into a small bucket nearby the bed.

 **"You're either the bravest valley girl in the world, or the craziest."** He said eagerly, trying his best to sound magnanimous, and yet sarcastic at the same time.  
 **  
"I vote both. You feelin' alright?"** Alonna asked worriedly.

 **"I'm ok, where... where?"** Buffy said returning to sense. She was covered in a brown blanket, a small bandage over her shoulder, from where Lorna had attacked.

 **"Home, or what used to be one. Tyler found it, used to be a crackhouse or smackhut, or something like that."** Gunn said taking a seat on a chair near the couch Buffy was lying on.

 **"Charles saved you from that blood sucker, after you saved him. Still, thought you might be one too considering what he saw you do."**

 **"No... I'm just me."** Buffy replied, still weak.

 **"And who would that be exactly."** Gunn asked quietly, doing his best to be gentle.

 **"Me... I'm um... Anne. I'm no one. Thanks for, ya' know, saving me."** Buffy said darkly looking away and out the window.

 **"Gunn, Charles Gunn, this is my sister Alonna. So you wanna try that again with less pausing between between your pronouns?"**

 **"Ease off Charles, she's hurt, she's hand-cuffed, and she's not going anywhere."**

Buffy looked down to see her ankle handcuffed to the couch. She was tempted to rip it free, but decided that she wasn't strong enough yet.

 **"Yeah, sorry about that. But after the things we've seen, you can't blame us the extra caution. Didn't know if you'd wake up in a non-killing mood."** Gunn said bluntly.

 **"I- don't kill people."** Buffy said as she attempted to sit up.

 **"Good to know, but you still ain't exactly human are you? This ain't exactly a damn pencil"** Alonna said slightly worried, holding aloft 'Mr. Pointy'. The girl stood over Charles' shoulder, somehow protecting him and herself at the same time.

 **"I'm..."** Buffy said nothing more, her silence deafening. She kicked her leg out and the arm of the couch came free as if it were balsa. She smiled with an awkward smirk at the reveal of her power.  
 **  
"Yeah, kinda figured that wouldn't hold."** Gunn said as he leaned down to unlock the remaining mechanism.

 **"Sorry, about the couch."** She said sheepishly. **"I'm really good at destroying things."**

Tyler looking on protested silently with his hands...

 **"Ain't nobody asked you Tyler, and besides... she wanted to hurt us, I'm thinking she'd already be doing it."** Gunn replied briskly, silencing the already silent Tyler.

 **"So.. where'd you get the super strength, cause my Brother here owes you a serious thank you."** Alonna declared.

 **"Come on, I would have had Jack. Just didn't anticipate the rest of the gang."** Gunn said boastfully.

 **"You're welcome. I tend to save people, I'm kinda pesky that way."** Buffy.  
 **  
"So you're strong, you kill vampires, and you're name isn't Anne."** Alonna said musing.

 **"That's about it."** Buffy replied trying to stop the speculation.

 **"Slayer."** Gunn said thinking aloud.

 **"What, who told yo-"**

 **"Jack said it, 'fore he ran off. So your name is Slayer? Yeah, I'd prefer Anne too-"**

 **"No... I'm-"** Buffy sat up fully yawning a bit.

 **"I'm Buffy,"** She announced as if it were a big deal.

 **"You're strong we know."** Alonna said as she came closer and sat nearby. The rest of the house seemed to have squatters as well, here and there Buffy could see kids, teenagers younger and older. Most should have been in school, all of them should be at a home with parents, or parent as in her case. The place had crosses in every window, and there weapons hanging on the walls, stakes and wooden spears, as well a crude crossbow or too.

 **"No. My name is Buffy Summers... I'm a Vampire Slayer. She whose destined dark the fightness? I mean fight the darkness. Sorry Giles always said that bit."**

 **"Buffy... the Vampire Slayer, that's new."** Alonna said surprised at how well the words flowed together.

 **"Old actually, ancient, at least that's what I'm told"** , Buffy said, wishing she'd stolen at least one of Giles' books on the way out of town.

 **"So you come to L.A. to fight the good fight? Ain't we lucky. Who's this 'Giles', he your boyfriend or something?"** Gunn said as he took her in with a glance.

 **"I'm not here to, I mean, I have to-, can you not tell anyone about the whole slayer thing?"** She couldn't tell strangers, let alone friends.

 **"Hey, you saved my big brother, far as I'm concerned you could be Charles Manson and I'd owe you one. You running from something? 'Cause we know how that is."** Alonna said touching Buffy on her arm reassuringly.

 **"We all come from somewhere, Tyler back there lost both his parents two months back, vamp's took 'em. Doctor's say he went mute, hysterical something or other. Everyone here has either lost someone, or is running from something. You could stay here if-"**

 **"No, I... just have to get back. Besides I'll be fired... again."** Buffy ignored the urge to tell someone about the hell she'd been through since she run Angel through with a sword.  
 **  
"Alright, but you better let me drive you back."** Gunn said getting up to grab his keys.

 **"I can handle myself."** Buffy said proudly.

 **"That we know. But unless you got GPS and a rocket pack hidden in that jacket, you gonna need someone who knows L.A. Besides, in this neighborhood, monsters and creeps don't just come out at night. Besides, I still have to thank you."** Gunn said with a knowing frown.

 **"You'd better let him Buffy, when Charles gets it in his head to play shining knight he gets super stubborn."**


	3. Chapter 3 : The Soft Light of Day

**Chapter 3: The Soft Light of Day**

Gunn's truck shuddered too a stop outside the small apartment building in the rundown southside of the City of Angels. The sun was above the horizon now, burning through the last remnant of clouds. The street outside Buffy's place was a wash with people getting about their lives such as they were. Homeless folks rummaged about, and all manner of people were just beginning the day anew.

"This it?" Gunn asked bending down slightly to peer at the dilapidated edifice of a once proud structure through the dusty windshield. His eyes were a mixture of concern and doubt.

"Home sweet...hovel," Buffy said sheepishly as she prepared to get out. Hesitating just a moment longer then she meant to.

"Really seem kinda eager." Gunn said as he noticed her hesitation.

"No really, it's not that bad, it doesn't even smell, most of the time." She said with the first smile Gunn had seen her make since they'd met.

"See there, you must be feeling better, folks always get 'sarcastical' when their on the mend." Gunn mused intentionally creating a fake word.

"Thanks for the ride," she said at the last moment.

"Listen, I know it's none o' my business, but you gotta watch yourself." Gunn said aloud after she paused.

"Hey, I'm not the one who was taking on five vamp's all by lonesome. And you're right, it's not your business." She replied, looking him dead in the eyes, confronting him with his own foolishness.

"Yeah, that was stupid, I admit it. But something tells me that if I hadn't been in that Alley you would have died, plus I don't have super strength." Gunn said sarcastically. He tried his best to make his words authoritative. He wasn't in charge of her, or responsible for her life, but there was more to this girl, and he wasn't about to just let her back into a slow death.

"You have a point, or this a kind of lecture without an ending?" Buffy said sardonically.

"My point is you need training, maybe a crew. No way a low down dirty Vamp like Lorna should have a chance at ending you. You should have someone to watch your back... " Gunn said wistfully, thinking back to his early days dodging vamps and demons.

Buffy paused before responding. Her thoughts wandered back to Sunnydale again. She couldn't go back there, that Buffy who was wide eyed and fresh to the world was gone. That wasn't her life anymore. Charles couldn't know, but some how the tall guy was speaking right to her heart.

"Now maybe I'm over the line, but you need people. Trust me, I seen it before, kids who are convinced they ain't worth saving. It always ends the same. They think they can handle things on their own, until they end up face down in the canal. You got power, that's true, but you also got this death wish about you. You deserve-"

"You have no idea... no idea what I've been through... what I've seen. You can't know what I've had to do, what I had to give up." she said frustrated and angry with his insistence.

"That's true. I can't pretend I know your life. But I know suffering, I know pain. And I know that whatever you're punishing yourself for, it ain't worth you dying. Things are too hard, i get that. You don't want to go back? Fine, stay. How about you try going forwards for a change. Maybe things won't ever be the way they were... but you still gotta live...and people need you." Gunn said as he put the truck in park.

"What are you..."

"There's evil things about, good people that are fighting to survive, and they could use someone who can punch like a mack truck on occasion. But your stuck... something has you frozen, and if you let it, whatever it is will pull you down for good." Gunn said plainly, no agenda, just concern about his new savior.

Gunn got out of the truck and came to the passenger side of the vehicle. He opened the door for her, and waited as she hopped out. He placed a used cellphone in her hand, and gently closed both his hands over her one, before she could refuse the gift.

"Got this from a vamp's stash on 112th street. Vampire with a cellphone, what a world right? You need something you call, got my beeper number programmed and everythin'. You ring, I come, simple as that." Gunn said calmly as he let her hand go, and turned to leave.

"Why are you being nice to me? You... you don't even know me." Buffy said surprised at the gift. She looked up at Charles as he hoped back into the truck.

"I guess I have a soft spot for super powered white girls who are a little broken." He said with a wry smile, and started the truck.

"Why?" Buffy asked pondering her new friend.

" 'Cause we all are." He responded, giving her a nod as he pulled off.

The stairs her apartment were as worn as ever, and Buffy scrambled up them, as she thought over Gunn's words. He was like Xander but... different. Maybe Xander if he'd been born in a desperate neighborhood, with only his wits and a stake between him an death... and you know... black. She didn't want to be reminded of what she'd left, and she couldn't help but feel the pang of loneliness every time she thought of them.

 _Still he's...nice_ , she thought as she turned the key in her lock, and opened the door. She needed a nap, looking at the clock in her decrepit flat, she could the clock said 7:00 am. Three hours before work... not exactly a banquet of sleep, but better then nothing.

Opening the fridge, Buffy tossed Mr. Pointy in with several other weapons she had stowed away. Right next to yesterday's noodles, and above the science experimenter of a former pie from last weeks pay.

Sleep was fast and easy, there was nothing like a night of slaying to put one to sleep. As she awoke, showered and got dressed in her uniform, her mind kept going back to the conversation she'd had with Gunn. He was right, if she wasn't going to go back, then the least she could do was go forward.

"knock! knock!"

Buffy turned to look at the door. Someone had found her, someone who had come looking. She thought about running, leaping for the window and running until her longs burst. Instead she stopped, opened the fridge, retrieved a small axe, and held it the ready.

"knock-knock-knock!"

She unlocked the door, and slowly opened, weapon in hand, ready dispatch whatever thing had followed her. She looked up at the figure and saw... a forty something woman with glasses.

"Good, ready for anything I see." The woman said with a British accent, examining her with a knowing look. The woman was tall, brownish-blonde, with a calming smile, and the look of someone of authority.

"Can I help you?" Buffy asked wondering just who his imperious looking woman could be.

"Gwendolyn Post. Pleased to meet you."

{to be continued}


	4. Chapter 4: Watched

**Chapter 4: Watched  
**  
A shrill whistle picked up steam, as a boiling teapot of water finally came to fruition. The stove was old fashioned, and so was the oven it sat over, in fact the entire kitchen seemed to reek of old world charm and sophistication.

"About bloody time." Said the older man who retrieved the pot and placed it on a small silver tray. The chef, hit a bell, and soon a younger man, dressed to the nines in a waiters uniform entered, to retrieve the tray.

"Room 21, Reginald, and be quick about it."

"Aye sir."

"And use proper diction this time dammit. I vouched for you. Remember that." The younger man nodded, and moved off as quickly as he came. The marble floors, the oak wood columns, the entire house was pristine and classical. Taking a prestigious looking lift, the waiter waited patiently for the machine to deposit him on the wrong floor. When the doors opened, he ambled forth, passing several open classroom doors, in each young men and women worked eagerly at their lessons. One room had two fencers, desperately pressing each other with foils. Another a silver haired man spoke Latin word, causing a small cat to appear suddenly, and moments later a pile of shrimp appeared from no where.

Finally the end of the hall came, he knocked, and a deep gruff sounding voice bellowed for him to- "Enter."

An adult woman stood with her back to the desk, and the waiter Reginald could feel the atmosphere was tense. Behind the desk of the headmaster sat the man himself. A heavy set older man with all the refinement and training years of being the head of the esteemed Watchers' Council could bring.

"You cannot even acknowledge that I should have been picked can you. I had all the requisite experience, training, even in magick." Ms. Post said, spinning a small silver globe on a nearby table.

"Nonsense, Mr. Giles has been more then up to the task. Granted his style is becoming more... American then we care for. You on the other hand are needed here. Your research into the so called "Powers That Be" has been invaluable."

"Invaluable? I've been humiliated, mocked, and crammed into the library with that lecherous-" The woman's voice was incredulous, angrier then Reginald had ever heard a watchers' voice get before. He placed the platter in front of the headmaster.

"Felix is a good man Gwendolyn, I'll not hear those accusations again."

Reginald paused waiting to see if he would be needed. He was waved off, and as he left he stopped outside to listen to the rest of the exchange.

"I'm telling you that the glove can still be found, my findings are clear, if you would only-" Gwendolyn tried again only to be cut off summarily.

"You've been reading that bloody codex against my orders haven't you! Confound-it woman! We don't know where it comes from, let alone what those evil leeches were planning to do-" The headmaster thundered.

"IF you would take the time to look at my research, you would see that the glove has inter-dimensional capabilities and that it draws it's power from another realm. If I had the glove, I could theoretically-" Her rant grew almost feverish, now she truly had pushed the headmaster to his limit.

"Enough, Ms. Post. That damned book has driven smarter and more experienced men then you mad. We don't even understand it's true power. Consider yourself on suspension until further notice."

"What... you can't mean? How can I-"

"Effective immediately. You're antics in front of the students saw to that. If you're lucky, the suspension will only be for a few months."

"You can't do this! Do you know how hard I've worked, how much I sacrificed! I spent my life training for this... and the next slayer is due-"

"Yes, and Mr. Price we'll be assigned once his last lesson's are complete. You forget your station Ms. Post"

"That worthless egotistical sheltered dandy!? Nepotism? Is that what this comes down to? Is there no end to this organization's corruption?"

"You have stepped way over the line Ms. Post. You will obey my orders, and you will clear your things out by the end of the day. You will abandon your research and turn the codex back into the library vault. Two months in Kirkwall, unless you wish to press your luck further?"

"This... will not stand Headmaster, I promise you." Gwendolyn said her face contorted from anger, as she exited.

"Watchers Council? Really? They still... want me?" Buffy seemed incredulous. She had a hard time understanding why they would still want her. She'd fled Sunnydale, and with it Mr. Giles. She had thought if anyone was to find her...

"Oh yes. They've been watching you for sometime now. It was smart of you to use a different alias. But such things have been known to happen, traumatic events often can split watcher and slayer." Gwendolyn replied causally, as she sipped tea from the small chipped cup, the only cup that Buffy owned.

"But what about..." Buffy began, bu then trailed.

"Mr. Giles? I'm afraid he's been reassigned. Another slayer I do believe." Gwendolyn said with just tiny amount of pity, that seemed to indicate her own sadness over the swiftness of the transition.

"So he just-"

"Moved on? I'm afraid so Ms. Summers. That's often how the world works, people get left behind, lost. It can be like they were transported to another dimension. But worry not, we will carry on. Stiff upper lip and all that." She smiled and finished the tea.

Buffy was still floored by the idea of another slayer, partying with her friends, dusting her vamps...maybe even sitting in her library.

"What is it with watchers and the tea?" She interjected, looking at the small travel teapot, Ms. Post had produced.

"You'd be surprised how much it helps you think. Now, the Watchers council has approved a small stipend to make sure you are better accommodated as part of the offer, and I can promise you that I will do everything I can to make you the best Slayer that ever was." Ms. Post said getting to her feet. As she did she nearly stumbled, and Buffy moved to catch her in case she fell. It was then that she felt the woman's arm shift unnaturally, and then a moment latter, it fell to the floor.

"I'm... so sorry." Buffy said cupping her mouth with a small amount of horror.

"No... no. Quite alright. Just a little battle souvenir, from a rather annoying enemy I'm afraid." Post said retrieving the limb that ended at the elbow.

"Was it a vampire, because I work really well at payback." She said upset at the idea of someone hurting an innocent Watcher doing their job. She imagined what she would have done to Spike if he had taken Giles's arm.

"Nothing quite so simple. But not to worry, Ms Summers, we all have damages of one sort or another. The question is not how we get injured, or who might be standing in our way, or how often we get knocked down, it's what we do after that truly counts." Ms. Post said, as she reattached the plastic looking limb, and shook her head with a knowing smile.

"Now... what do you say?" Ms. Post extended her one good hand to Buffy.

Buffy thought about what Gunn had said, how she had been stuck in one place, how she wasn't really living. This was a chance, a chance to do what she was meant to. Maybe this was the way, the way forward, that she needed. Besides, if Giles and Co, had moved on...

"When do we start?" She said flatly and finally, shaking the hand she was given.

"My dear, we've already begun." Ms. Post said with a wide reassuring smile.


	5. Chapter 5: A One And-a Two And-a

**Chapter 5 ... A One And-a Two And-a**

"Concentrate... focus your mind on the future..."

...

"Look deep within, calm your nerves... "

...

"Slow your heart rate... gently..."

...

"Think about all of your little plastic ships..."

"Would you stop it with the yoga crap? It's just battleship." Alonna said to Gunn with a groan. The two faced off against each other, in the waning hours of the evening. Darkness had fallen, and two days had past, since Gunn had met his first slayer. But Gunn had done all he could to forget about the blonde bombshell, she didn't call, and he new better then to put too much concern into someone who clearly didn't want help.

"Hey just cause it's a board game doesn't mean you can't apply a little eastern philosophy." Gunn said calmly, leaning back as Alonna took her time. The small band of teens had fortified their little enclave, a sentry posted at each entrance, and more garlic and crosses then an entire Italian villa.

"You're just upset cause you're losing. Maybe someones distracted by a little blondie with the pretty eyes?" Alonna said as she high-fived Tiffany who sat nearby preparing a wooden stake.

"You trippin'" Gunn said sounding truly annoyed and doing the best he could to cover how close to the bone Alonna got.

"You have a PT boat left Charles, you haven't even hit my Aircraft carrier. You won't last." She replied incredulous to his counter.

"Ahh, but that's all part of the strategy." He said as he leaned in, realizing just how hopeless the game was, "Never count me out." He continued, looking towards his little sister with a knowing smile.

"Yo Gunn we got movement! It's Bobby!" said the lookout near the front door.

"Let him in!" Gunn barked trying his best to sound in command.

Bobby was escorted in, sweating and looking like he just ran a marathon. Gunn pressed him.

"Whats the score?"

"Got two 'demony' folks hustlin' a sharp dressed man on 122nd. Sounded like he was about to get slaughtered." Bobby sputtered

"Now what were you doin' on 122nd, you were supposed to be on 110th?" Gunn inquired, pressing a finger into the man's chest.

"Hey man lay off, found some 'unclaimed stuff' in the house on the corner, thought it'd be useful." Bobby said, clearly a little intimidated.

"I will when you start following orders." Gunn barked back.

"Look we gonna help that dude or what?" Alonna asked, eagerly trying to get her brother past the current stand off.

"Alonna keep them quiet, Bobby, Glen and Lisa, you with me, beep Tyrell and have him meet us on 108th, by the Korean place. " Gunn ordered, and left in a hurry.

"Be careful!" Alonna shouted after him.

...

The alley was just the sort you didn't want to be caught dead in, and many folks frequently were. It wasn't much more then some pavement in between to vacant lots and and abandoned building, but tonight it was alive with someone being led of towards a terrible fate.

"Listen, fella's, can I call you fellas? You got the wrong guy. Let's go back to my club and I promise we'll all have a good laugh after a couple of drinks." the man in the bright red suit said as he was literally carried down the back alley.

"Quiet! She wants to see you, and that's all you need to know." said the lead of the two vamps, his hair a long main of hair that made it seem as if he were the leader of tragically un-hip band.

"Can't we at least stop and think here, I mean I know vampires can be a little one track, but clearly we can make a deal." The sharply dressed man said, his hat strangely staying on his head, despite the manhandling he was undergoing.

"A deal?"

"Of course, you know commerce, the exchange of things? Like not killing me for some price later exacted? What say we parley, and make said deal before one of us gets chopped into itty-bitties?"

"There are no deals...with Her." said the second vamp grimly continuing to pull the man towards a car at the end of the Alley.

"Oh. Well. When you put it that way... help!" The man screamed pathetically.

Suddenly a whistle came from the end of the alleyway, it rang out the tune of jeepers'creepers..."Should have listened to him," Said Gunn as he turned the corner in front of the three men.

"What the hell is that?"

"I don't know but it's wonderfully on key, and not a moment too soon." the man quipped.

"Quiet!" The second vamp ordered.

"Me...I'm just a guy in an alley-" Gunn said calmly, doing his best to not arouse suspicion.

"Get him!" Said the second vampire as the first charged at the man.

"-With a crossbow." Gunn finished, raising the crossbow and firing, nailing the fiend in the chest, he exploded into dust. The rest of his gang popped from around the corner, armed with stakes, crosses and wooden spear guns.

The vampire, now outgunned, looked around nervously at the approaching humans.

"and a small army…this just isn't your day my man…" Gunn said menacingly.

"See, this? This is when I'd run." The well-dressed man said with a shirt quip.

The vampire seemed to agree, and hightailed it. Leaving the tied up man under a street lamp that hid his face.

"Track him, but don't engage, nobody play hero!" Gunn ordered, and the five other teens took off after the lone bloodsucker.

Gun approached the man and with the flick of a knife he was free.

"Oh thank you, thank you, kind stranger...hey, you don't happen to have a cape do you, 'cause your my own personal superman!" the man said profusely.

"No capes, just don't like vamp's hustlin' in my part of town. Plus, I was going for a more Batman sort of vibe. You alright?"

"Me? I'm fine, never better, I got all my fingers and toes, so that's a bonus." The man said joyously, his face still hidden by the hat.

"What did they want?" Gun looked the man over, and noticed he didn't exactly have the look of a normal human. his guard was instantly up.

"Honestly? I think it was about a little reading I did for a not-so friendly lady. Couldn't be a day in L.A. without pissing off the hotties and the naughties." The man said rubbing his gloved wrists, and kept his head down in the dark shadows. Gunn figured he was just scared.

"Reading?" Gunn tried again to make eye contact. But the man was evasive.

"Yeah, a little trick I do for the interested and the worried. You sing, or hell hum, and I can read your aura like a ribbon in the sky. Listen you ever need a little help yourself, you're welcome to come by." The man handed him a small card, and Gunn stuffed the card into his pocket without much thought.

"I'll... think about. You'd better go, I need to find my guys." Gunn said as he reloaded his crossbow.

"No problemo, non-caped crusader. Catch you around, oh hey that girl you're thinking about?"

"What?"

"The whistle, don't worry this one is on the house. She's gonna need your help, could be sooner then later. I wouldn't worry, she'll call."

"How did you..." Gunn puzzled as her turned back to the man.

"Told you... it's a gift. Adios compadre!" The man said and moved off into the night. As he left, Gunn could have sworn he saw a hint of green from his neck.

"Ok, that's it, I have got to stop hanging out in back alleys." Gunn said aloud and moved off to catch up with his crew.


	6. Chapter 6: State of the Hart

Chapter 6 ... **State of the Hart**

"Now... again!" Ms. Post's voice was clear and stern.

Buffy took up the fighting pose once more, and began the combination that her new watcher had shown her. It was a move designed to combat several opponents at once, helping to keep her assailants off-balance whether they be vampiric or simply demonic in nature. The anthropomorphic wooden statues were much more detailed then any of Giles' more generic punching bags. In fact the whole facility was a small wonder.

It had been two days, and Buffy continued to train with a eagerness. She poured every bit of herself into the daily lessons that seemed to inform and punish her body from Ms. Post.

"One!" The first kick was to the figure in front of her.

"Two!" A spinning backhand to the beastie behind.

"Three!" A devastating upper cut to figure on her left.

"And rest!"

Buffy stopped and took a breath, surveying the devastation she'd wrought.

"You might wanna give them a break, the wood is definitely losing this one." She said as she smiled through the perspiration, and quick gulps of air.

A two story loft near the warehouse district that seemed more like aircraft hangar then training facility. The place was massive in comparison to anything she'd seen in Sunnydale. Here she could stretch-out, cut loose, something denied her in the confines of a stuffy gym, or a smelly library.

"Shall we take an intermission Ms. Summers? It's been three hours."

"Sure, I could go for something of a break, maybe something like a siesta with more of a recess vibe."

"I'm sorry to keep you cooped up. But I want to make sure you haven't atrophied too much." Ms. Post said as she reset the wooden figures. Buffy observed how little she allowed her injury to slow her down. Gwendolyn was a force, one arm or not.

"No worries, I _trophied_ a lot before Sunnydale, there was cheerleading-, you meant... something else didn't you?" Buffy asked sheepishly, trailing off when she realized she'd misheard Ms. Post.

"Quite, but regardless, I need to be sure that you are at peak form. I do not believe in coddling. But with time and application, I believe that my methods will bare fruit."

"Fruit? Ok, now I'm seriously starving." Buffy said as she wiped her head with a small towel.

"Go on Ms. Summers, the fridge should be fully stocked. You've earned it." Ms Post said, folding her arms in a near maternal show of pride.

Buffy made her way down the stairs to the living area of the building. This was a well furnished building, all the latest equipment, a new computer, a sound system, and a projection tv that could have sworn was larger then her old room. Above a large painting of a wolf howling at the moon hung. The large spacious kitchen was modern and true to Ms. Posts' words the fridge was jammed.

"Jackpot!" Buffy said with a relief. After months of gross noodles and the cheapest food stuffs, seeing a fridge full of food was like a revelation.

As she began to retrieve item after item, Ms. Post entered, sitting at the nearby table reviewing an odd book.

"Wow... the Watcher Folks must have come into some serious funds. They even got the nice apples." Buffy said as she bit into one with an eager crunch.

"Yes, our benefactors have seen to everything. It's all part of making sure you're at your best.", Post said as she continued to read the odd looking book in front of her.

"A well fed slayer is a happy slayer..." Buffy said as she grabbed what looked like a piece of ham and a non-fat yogurt.

"What.. what is this?", Buffy asked smelling something that seemed like baked ham, only stronger.

"Mutton... ram's meat. High in protein. Perfect for a growing Slayer." Post said quickly.

As she began to tear into the food. Ms. Post continued her reading in earnest.

On the counter next to her new Watcher's books, was a picture frame, the sort of frame with a stock photo. Three kids posed with a random man and woman, a fake display of family, but still it struck something deep inside Buffy, something that suddenly made her somber.

"Ms. Post..." Buffy put down the leg,

Gwendolyn stopped her reading.

"Yes Ms. Summers." Ms. Post looked up at her with the harsh eyes of someone not enjoying an interruption.

"I was wondering, about Giles and my friends... and my mom," Buffy paused, her thoughts conflicted.

"Go on..."

"I mean, I should probably let them know I'm ok." She said all at once, trying express herself without being to explicit.

"You think that's wise? Re-opening old wounds and all that?" Ms. Post replied with her trade mark stoicsm.

"It's not that I want to stop training, but-"

"Buffy, let me tell you something. The life of a slayer is about sacrifice. Family, friends, even love... are all expendable. Saving the world means that sometimes people we care about, and who care about us may have to be left behind. Sometimes we have to chose, between our desires, and the fate of the world... Surely Mr. Giles, despite his less then thorough methods, informed you of this."

"He... did, sorta, but-" Buffy began with a little bit of hesitation.

"However, given your obedience to the regimen, I believe something can be arranged. And I appreciate you being honest with me." Gwendolyn said with a slight smile.

"Well, If you think it's a good idea-" Buffy said, clearly getting her hopes up.

"How about we send a cable to Mr Giles and your mother, letting them know your healthy and training, and that there are no hard feelings?" Ms. Post elaborated.

"Sure, or we could... ya know, drive over?" Buffy requested plainly.

"In time. For now let's make sure your ready first. There's a major operation which the Watcher's Council has been requested to assist with. Something that only a slayer... a well trained slayer can handle."

"Right... and a well trained slayer is a not dead slayer. Then..." Buffy said resigned to continue. She took her leave, taking a plate of food with her.

"Indeed." Ms. Post said with gentle nod after her new ward. Her face changed however, as soon as the blonde teenager was out of sight.

As she left Ms. Post returned to her reading, waiting to see if Buffy was out of ear shot, she spoke a few words, and her eyes glowed slightly blue, a small flash of light emanated from the book, and Gwendolyn closed it swiftly. It's cover was emblazoned with the image of a proud deer. Above the book the image of a young redheaded-haired girl appeared, hazy, but unmistakable.

"You'll do. Yes, you will do quite nicely." Ms. Post said under her breath, a moment past uttered several magical words, and the light from her eyes shone brighter for a moment. Her lips pursed into a gentle smile, as the girls visage dissipated into the air like a puff of smoke.

...

In bed, Buffy tossed and turned, her eyes unable to close.

The room much like the rest of the place, was well furnished, comfortable queen size bed, fit for someone twice Buffy's size. The large window opposite gave a wonderful view of the city below, standing at it felt like she was the star of a movie she didn't audition for. She marveled at just how perfect the whole place was. Somehow each day someone came through and cleaned, but they did it so fast, so seamlessly, that at felt as if it was this side of magical. But no matter how soft the pink and white sheets were, no matter how fluffy the stuffed animals, or cool the small mounted tv was... all of it seemed like a pale imitation of somewhere else.

Finally, she pulled open the small night stand, and withdrew the cellphone Gunn had given days earlier. She turned it on, and pressed the small glowing down button through the contacts none of which she recognized. The green light from the screen illuminated her face and the surrounding room. Finally she arrived at the name 'C. Gunn'... 555-1863.

She punched in her home number, but before she could dial, she cleared the number. She did the same in turn for Xander, Willow, but she couldn't remember Giles's number. She looked the blank screen for what seemed like an hour, then closed the phone, and held it close to her heart, doing her best to hold back tears, and tried to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: The Heavy

"One!"

A vampire went flying over a nearby tombstone. The creep landed on his back, and a moment later a young woman followed, landing with near flawless precision next to the prone creep who'd been beaten to a pulp. The creature looked up with surprise as she rammed a wooden stake home in his chest.

"Aw, I didn't get to number two this time." Buffy complained as she pulled back and made a face.

As the dust cleared, Buffy stood wiping off the dust from her new dud's. The outfit was a black halter top with black tights, a high miniskirt, and boots that were both tactical and stylish. As Ms. Post had told her, there was no need to look cheap when killing evil.

"Mission complete?" Ms. Posts words buzzed over the small earpiece squirreled away behind Buffy's ear.

"Vamp's good and dusted." Buffy replied, tossing back her long blonde hair, and putting it back into a stylish simple braid.

"Excellent. There's a disturbance on Pike street, warehouse district, we have a job the Watcher's Council has agreed to help with."

"Another Op? Why not, the nights young." Buffy countered.

"I'll transfer the coordinates to your driver. And Buffy?"

"Yeah?"

"Good work, we're all proud of you."

Buffy smiled saying nothing, an odd blue sheen seemed to sparkle from her eyes.

Buffy trundled down the path that lead from the cemetery to the parking lot.

Behind her in the shadows a figure loomed. The figure peaked out from behind a large elm, and waited a moment before lighting a cigarette. He picked up a cellphone and dialed as the girl reached the end of the path and hopped into the back of a nondescript black sedan.

"It's me... you are never going to guess what I have for you." The man said, with a voice that seemed to drip with menace.

-

The car ride was quiet, as usual. Buffy was restless... as was also usual.

"So... you seriously never going to tell me your name?"

The driver in front was stoic, saying nothing, just driving as he usually did. He wore a blue mask, and other then that Buffy had learned almost nothing about him. Accept that didn't speak, at all.

"I mean you don't have to talk or anything, it's just. We're co-workers... shouldn't we I don't know... have like a water cooler chat?"

The man stared straight ahead, never moving accept for his hands on the wheel.

"It's just it's been like two weeks of job after job, and you just well sit there-"

"Like that." She said under her breath, as the man seemingly ignored her again.

The car pulled to a stop and the man turned, the lights from several lamp posts bouncing of the blue luchador mask. He pointed to a nearby building. Several other dark vehicles were there already, several men in security uniforms and tactical outfits. The night was marked by lightning flashing in the distance, a storm threatened over the Hollywood hills.

Buffy popped out of the car, several tactical weapons attached to her back, looking the part of a diminutive commando.

"Ms. Summers?" Ms. Post approached from the back of a small mobile command van. The logo on the outside of the vehicle looked official, but there was something off about the symbol above three latin words that Buffy didn't recognize. Ms Post was as always immaculately dressed; black pencil skirt, black pumps, and an officious jacket marked the female watcher as something different as the rest of the soldiery types walking about. Buffy tried imagining someone being more serious, but nothing came to mind. She motioned Buffy over to a table with plans as a senior military type stood stoically over it.

"Posty... what do we have." Buffy said, pulling out a small axe from a strap over her shoulder.

"A nest of vampires, initial reports say twelve but-... Posty?" The woman stopped mid sentence as the word finally reached a non-serious part of her brain Buffy noticed summarily.

"Yes... you don't like it? Too care-free? I was trying to come up with something appropriately cute and funny."

"Indeed. Now Can we proceed with the briefing? Lt. Hauser went to all this trouble." Ms. Post said folding her arms with a slight bit of impatience.

"Absolutely...Posty." Buffy remarked turning back to the small layout Ms. Post had spread before her.

"It's all very straightforward, vampires holding court in an abandoned warehouse." Hauser finished, and pointed a tactically gloved hand at one of inner rooms on the plans in front of him.

"So we come, we slay, we go home. I like the simple ones." She said as something in the plans distracted her. A logo in the corner of the paper.

"Accept these villains are holding a hostage, a young woman, 17 years old... and we need them to be brought alive Ms. Summers. Now despite my reservations, Ms. Post says you don't need any escort." Hauser said derisively, clearly annoyed that his superiors didn't feel his men were up to the task.

"Who?" Buffy asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Hauser seemed confused.

"Whose the hostage? When I save someone it's nice to have a name attached to a body."

"We don't ask questions here Ms. Summers... and I'm not at liberty-"

"Again with that old chestnut?" Buffy said with a sigh.

The man continued but Buffy was focused elsewhere.

Buffy was busy looking over the plans for the building. The logo was what she focused on, the large 'WH' seemed to be everywhere. Her mind wandered back to the people Gunn was protecting. They didn't have command vehicles and body armor. The resources here though were quite a contrast. She then thought of her old friends in Sunnydale. Who was saving the day now? Kendra was dead, did that mean they were on their own? She shoved the thought away. Ms. Post said they had moved on, and she had to as well. This was life wasn't it? Getting on with things?

"Having trouble?" Ms Post asked simply, as the square jawed officer across from them also raised an eyebrow at Buffy's hesitation.

"Just umm, why does the Watcher Council have us working with these guys? I know people that are struggling everyday just to survive, and they have whole swat teams and guns and-"

"Just because they have human weapons doesn't mean they are prepared to go after these sorts of threats. As far as they are concerned, when it comes to the supernatural... you're the Calvary Ms. Summers." Ms. Post said with a confident gaze at her.

"But..." Buffy thought about saying something more, but Ms Post retorted first.

"We help where we can, when we can, and right now, it means a hostage being held prisoner. Can we accomplish this mission and have the 'have and have not' discussion later?" Ms. Post retorted.

"Ok. Just make sure these guys stay out of my way... this time." Buffy said recounting the last operation that she'd been brought into handle. The diminutive blonde teenager then moved passed the dozen or so black op security guards swiftly on her way in.

"Move aside! Slayer coming through! Comms are hot." Said Hauser as he trotted behind.

"So... you ever going to tell me who this client is, you know the one with the serious muscle, and how their connected to Watchers Council?" She said into her comm device over her ear.

"Trust me Ms. Summers, the more you know..." Ms. Posts voice said calmly, whispering a small magical incantation as she finished.

"-Yeah, the less I care." Buffy said a blue sheen sparkling behind her eyes.

The guards closest the door were holding back for cover.

"No entry that way... it's barricaded, damn Vamp's holding the door. Three guys couldn't ram it down." One of the body armored guards gruffly squawked.

"Aww..Really? That's cute." Buffy said smiling broadly as she moved past.

"The hell? Where are you goi-" The man exclaimed asked back as she ignored him fully. Hauser grabbed the man by the shoulder. "I think-"

Buffy ran towards the door, stopped to size it up, reared back, and delivered a kick that blew the door clear off it's rusty hinges, and into a vampire in the room beyond. She then dove headlong into the darkness.

"-She's got this." He finished as Buffy went to work.

Outside the unmarked security stood in awe as the sound of a massive fight broke out. Punches, the breaking of bones, howls of pain, and even a small explosion rocked the warehouse as a battle ensued.

"Jesus... should we-?" said one of the guards huddling behind cover.

"Just be glad we're on your side... for the moment." Ms. Post said trailing off and smiling slyly as a beaten body of a vampire was flung from a third story window and slammed to the ground and burst into dust.


	8. Chapter 8: All Slay, Some Play

_**T**_ _he morning after_ was never joyous. Bruised, bumps, abrasions... all were part of the slayer hangover. Of course, having a team of doctors, nurses, and physical therapists... now that was different. IT had been a week of the new life, and despite the unusual circumstances, Buffy was feeling pretty good, or at least she had been.

"Mrs. Summers, can you raise your right arm for me?" said an officious nurse with a heavy frame and pleasant smile.

"Look, It's fine... seriously, my mom's old boyfriend hits harder-", she stopped herself realizing just how pathetic that sounded.

"Don't worry, we're all very proud of you." Said the young nurse, as she smiled and continued her work.

"Thanks, but I'll be ok, I just need a moment-" Buffy her eyes glowing a moment and then trying again to assert that she was fine.

"Can you stop moving your head please, it'll affect the scans-" Said a doctor standing behind her with an odd looking scanner.

"Umm.. is that really-" Buffy said, her level of comfort with the invasion dropping as she saw the silhouette of her skull and brain on the a screen in front of another set of doctors.

"Good news, your blood oxygen level is back to normal parameters!" said a second cheery male nurse to the side of the first reading and instrument panel.

"Uh, thank you?" Buffy said trying to treat the news as an awkward compliment.

"Now your glucosamine, while abnormally high, aren't where we want them to be-" He pulled out a syringe.

"You know that's not really," Buffy said quickly looking at the long needle with a mixture of concern and fear.

"Don't forget we need a tissue sample as well, might as well get it all done while we're-

"Wait a minute-" Buffy started to squirm visibly in the medical bed. Her black tactical gear was still on, but this was a more form fitting outfit, allowing the medical team to study her in detail.

"That'll be all everyone." Said Ms. Post, who had entered with concerned look upon her face. She wore a proficient white blouse, with a red business skirt, and her glasses, ever present dangling from to thin golden chains. Her hair and makeup were immaculate, which made Buffy wonder, how with one hand she was able to still look amazing at all hours of the day.

Promptly, all the medical professional's turned and left. It was off-putting, because they literally dropped everything and left without so much as a goodbye. Buffy sat up, relieved at their move, but concerned by their utter lack of concern.

"Wow... I wish they did that for me." Buffy said succinctly.

"Yes, our medical team can be a bit, overwhelming, can't they. Are you alright?"

"Me, I'm fine. Nothing a little shopping and a large cup of coffee couldn't fix. And..." Buffy trailed off.

"Yes, I promised you time off didn't I." Ms. Post grinned at her slayer with her trademark guile.

"It's not just that...those demons... last night. They didn't-" She struggled to find the words.

" You made short work of the enemy. Your abilities have certainly improved, I suspect that made it feel all too easy."

"But... they barely even fought back it was like... wham blam... no time to say ma'am. It felt-" Buffy made fist, then released realizing for an instant something was amiss.

"I think you're right. You need... a break" Ms. Post replied.

"Come again?" Buffy couldn't believe her ears.

"You need a break. Even a slayer in her prime needs a night off, follow me." Ms Post instructed, walking out of the lab room.

"Hey, you know me, I'm all about the slay-age, the training, the tutoring, and the demony secret missions in the dead of night... but a night not being stocked by evil? That wouldn't suck." Buffy said following closely behind her female watcher.

"Then a night you shall have. What will you do?" The entered the small attached garage.

"Shopping, or maybe a movie, or I don't know I might go crazy and get a tattoo... like that one." She pointed out the one rebellious mark on Ms Post, a diminutive marking in the shape of an eight pointed star. Ms Post ignored Buffy, opening a door to the small attached garage, and switching on a light. There a red convertible sat, its gleaming headlights and chrome trim shining under the incandescent lights of the small garage.

"No...no way!?" Summers was nearly about to scream.

"No way," Ms Post responded bluntly, opening the door and retrieving her purse from what was now clearly her car. Buffy's face dropped.

"...I guess I'd need to have my license first."

"Indeed. Now, tell your driver to make sure you are back by two. Even Slayer's need a bed time." Ms. Post said as she looked through her bag.

"Wait... two? Two as in two seconds or two as in...?"

" 'Two' AM of course..." Ms Post clarified with a grin.

"Seriously? Is this a test? Aren't you going to do some long lecture about responsibility and maturity?"

"Buffy, you might be a 17 and half year old to world, but in reality your far more mature then most people three times your age. You fight and destroy evil, and you've saved the world at least twice. The least the world can do is treat you as an adult. You are a slayer, the normal rules don't apply to you... remember that. How is that for a lecture." The woman said with a sly smile.

Ms. Post pulled two small cards from her discreet purse. A nearly perfect fake license that had Buffy's face, and an age of _22_. The other was a silver looking credit card. She handed them both to Buffy.

"Ok... Ms. Post, you win, you're officially the coolest person in California. Totes' in the running for the world..." Buffy was nearly out the door of the darkly lit garage.

"Goodness... such an honor." Ms. Post responded with less enthusiasm then the moment called for. Now that's a two thousand dollar limit, and be sure not to spend it all, that's all for this week. And Buffy... remember, we're so proud of you." Ms Post said clearly, Buffy responded, and her eyes glowed blue once more, as she left the room eager to get her day started.

...

The front door closed behind the young slayer, and Ms. Post stood still a moment. Once she heard the slam of the car door, she moved to the living room and next to the large wolf painting on the wall. Touching the frame, a door appeared and slid aside.

Inside a small desk sat with a small desk covered with magical texts. A nearby monitor snapped on, where another woman sat with a large office behind her.

"I have to say... you been really successful...so far."The woman looked at her with an air of admiration.

"She will ultimately succeed, what about your promise Lilah?" Ms Post asked swiftly.

"Not until all conditions have been met. This will be a huge win for me, and for you." Lilah said with a silky smooth reply.

"And then?" Ms Post replied nervously.

"Then you will have exactly what was promised. You'll be pleased...trust me. I'm sending the second candidate to test your little chosen one. Have her ready." The woman said flicking her fingers and disappearing.

...

In the car, her driver was quiet as usual. Buffy pulled the small cellphone from her pocket, gifted her weeks earlier. She'd hidden it because of a fragment of an extinct she'd had. She stared at it, wondering at how distant everything seemed. She was tempted to call someone, someone she knew, someone who missed her, but as the car rounded a bend, she hesitated. Did someone like that exist? She could see fragments of faces, parts of names, but nothing was clear. It was almost like she couldn't remember anything other then being where she was. There was just Ms. Post... and the work... and...Gunn? Gunn!

She punched a few buttons, and there it was... the only number she didn't have to remember.


	9. Chapter 9: The Searchers

"It's not polite to stare." Gunn said as he felt the eyes burrowing into his back. Turning he saw an attractive blonde teenager with blue eyes, wearing what he assumed was a halter top. Her whole look seemed a few years off, like she was trying to bring back the early 80's, ten years to late. A black choker and hair braid completed the look. She reminded him immediately of someone he was trying to forget and at the same time couldn't.

"Sorry, it's just I saw you standing off to the side... not a dancer?" She asked candidly. The sounds of the rave in background hummed incessantly, wild lights flared back and forth as dozens of young people gesticulated there bodies to the rhythm of the music, most completely lost to the din and the clatter and the confusion of an underground party atmosphere. Gunn was not a regular in such places, but Alonna had convinced him that he needed a break. So finally he found himself in a place he didn't expect or truly desire to be.

"Nah, just don't feel much like dancing. What about you?" He asked confidently, noticing her posture speaking volumes about her intentions.

"Me neither, not a fan of the whole techno thing," She said as she tried to get closer to him by sliding along the wall where Gunn was leaning.

"It's House." He responded curtly.

"What?" She said caught off guard.

"The music, Techno has more sound effects," Gunn said as he caught the eye of Alonna dancing with two other girls. She smiled at him, and nodded him on as she continued to have fun.

"Yeah, well... I guess I'm just more into singers... do you like Madonna?"

"As a rule no, but that's probably just machismo talking." He said with a smile.

"You have a name? Or do they just call you the brooder?" The girl asked as she ran her fingers through her braided hair.

"They call me Gunn, when they aren't screaming for help." He responded, trying his best to not seem interested.

"Nice... I'm Sunday." She said smiling.

"Like the day?" He questioned.

"I prefer to think of it like the ice cream. Tasty, and you always want more." She said as she took his hand in her's.

"Let's go for a walk." She said leaning in with a alluring look. Gunn hesitated, but then caught a whiff of something too familiar. A smell that didn't go with there surroundings. He acquiesced, and turned to walk along side her.

As they walked along He noticed the sweater she wore had a college logo, 'UCSD'. As they exited, the evening air hit Gunn, it never really got cold in LA, but sometimes there was a chill that could go right through a person. Tonight however, it wasn't the night air that gave him goosebumps.

"So...college girl in the city for the weekend huh?" Gunn said as they were about to round a dark corner.

"Something like that, sometimes you just get tired of hanging around the same losers, you know?" She said with a smirk.

"I do, so you thought, go to the city, find a hot guy, have some fun-" Gunn said as he began to get an odd sense of dread. Suddenly Gunn pulled the cross from his pocket and the vampiric girl growled and fell back a pace.

"What is your damage..." She said as she covered her eyes, and jerked back reflexively.

"-find some new blood", he finished.

She smiled as she turned her face, and then suddenly turned back her face contorted into that of a demon.

"You must think I'm stupid," Gunn said confidently.

"I think you're food...When did you know?" she asked through her fangs, but held at bay by the cross.

"Right, because I'm going to give you pointers to get the next poor sap." Gunn said s he pulled a stake from the secret compartment in his cargo pants.

"Like for real? You are like totally no fun at all." Sunday said with hiss. As she backed off.

"I know, it's my curse." Gunn said with a grimace.

That's when Gunn felt it. A buzz from his pocket. He paused a moment wondering what to do.

"A'ight Material Girl, I don't have time to dance, but word of advice? Stick to the college campus. I see you on my side of town again I won't be so nice." He said, as the girl bid a hasty retreat.

"I'm so going to eat you..." Sunday said menacingly.

"You'll try, and then you'll be dust on the floor. Now get lost." Gunn said as he held the cross a little more tightly as she disappeared into the cold night.

He headed back into the club and pulled the beeper from his pocket. Gunn could scarcely believe the number. It was her.

Alonna came to him as he stood near the entrance.

"Really big bro? You promised me a night off." Alonna said sensing there was about to be a fight.

"Exactly, I never said I'd be off too." He nodded back as he surveyed the club again.

"You need to chill for a second." Alonna said as she put her hands on his shoulder.

"I can't, and you know that. I chill folks get hurt, my folks, people I love." Gunn said earnestly.

"Fine, but even soldiers need rest." Alonna said knowingly.

"I'll rest when I'm dead, and where we live that'll probably be tomorrow. I gotta go-Stay with Bobby and Stephen, saw a Vamp outside."

"Charles... watch yourself." Alonna said after him.

"Always do, could be why I'm still here. " Gunn said to her and left the loud club.

* * *

Alonna had barely seen Gunn leave when she turned and literally ran into someone.

"Umphh-"

"Oh, I'm so sorry... my apologies." The tall British sounding man said trying to excuse himself. He was flanked by a redheaded young woman, both whom seemed completely out of place in a club let alone an illegal one. The elbow patches, the glasses, the sweater vest, all of them pointed to someone who wasn't supposed to be in a club at 12 am.

"It's ok. Really, it was my fault... _professor_." Alonna said sizing the man up with a single word.

"No, the fault was entirely mine." The man continued speaking as loudly as possible over the sounds of the increasingly heavy bass.

"Don't mind Giles, if you let him, he'll apologize until the sun comes up." the young woman to his side said nervously. The redhead was short, cute, but a complete fashion disaster. Alonna couldn't remember anyone wanting to match green socks and checkered black and white skirt without being a mental patient.

"Whatever... excuse me." Alonna said as she began to move off.

"Um Miss... I'm sorry, could you help us?" The older man stopped her as she began to leave.

"What part of excuse me do you not understand?" Alonna said with a frowning face. She had no desire to get involved with whatever weird things these two were into.

"I know it's sort of out of the blue, but we're looking for someone", the redhead girl said with a half-hearted hopeful smile.

"Let me guess, your his best student, and he thinks the world of you?" Alonna said, the idea of the older man taking advantage of a sheltered teenage girl running through her head.

"Sure, I guess." The girl replied oddly.

"Excuse me!?" The older man surprised by the accusation.

"Trust me honey, this whole thing is going to end badly for you. My advice, go home and get a boyfriend your own age."

"I beg your pardon?" The older man said affronted.

"You can beg all you like, creep." Alonna said as she looked around for Bobby.

"Wait... no it's not like that." The redheaded girl said desperately.

"Uh-huh, whatever you tell yourself red, but you, you should be ashamed you ol' pervert." Alonna leveled her head shaking back in forth in a tell off moment for the ages.

"Now see here, this is not what it looks like." Mr Giles nearly thundered.

"So I don't see an old man out with a young girl a THIRD his age?" Alonna thundered back.

"That part is accurate, but we are not a couple of any sort." He insisted.

"Oh, well, sorry." Alonna said aloofly.

"Quite. And half my age by the way." He added the later half under his breath.

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself Jeeves." Alonna said as the man relented.

"As I said were looking for someone. My names' willow, and a friend of ours has gone missing." the redhead continued.

"This friend got a name?", Alonna asked, eyeing Bobby, and waving him over.

"Buffy, Buffy Summers.", The girl said with a deep concern, she pulled a small picture of the blonde slayer and placed it in Alonna's hands.

"Never heard of her, she in some sort of trouble?", Alonna said summarily. Pushing the picture back into Willow's hand. Keeping her face as stony as possible, she turned away.

"Are you sure. I did a locator sp-" Willow continued.

"She did a web search." Giles corrected nervously.

"Did I stutter?" Alonna responded again, trying to end the conversation.

"It's just, she's been gone a long time, and her mother-" Giles tried to add.

"Look, I ain't seen her, are we done?" Alonna said sternly.

"Yes." Willow said, her eyes dropping a bit.

"If you do... see her, let her know that her friends miss her, and that her mother wants her to come home." Giles said calmly, his eyes seemingly knowing that there was more behind the girls' refusal. Alonna nodded, and watched as the pair left awkwardly through the raucous crowd.

Bobby approached finally.

"Where were you?"

Bobby shrugged, "So...What did professor do-good want?"

Alonna said nothing, only looked towards the lights of party to distract herself again.


	10. Chapter 10: Finishing Last

"Gunn! Over here!"

Charles had barely entered the mall when he saw Buffy coming towards him at full speed. It was like seeing a dolphin in the ocean, or a kid in a candy store.  
He smiled in spite of his intentionally gruff demeanor. It was nice to see her so happy for a change.

"Whoa...you know yelling that in a crowded space isn't the smartest move?" Gunn said eyeing the security guard that had looked his way when Buffy had called out. The mall was a typical one, filled with people busy shopping for the Christmas season that was rapidly approaching.

"Well what am I supposed to call you?" Buffy said as she folded her arms jokingly. As she did so the many bags she was carrying flopped about.

"Sir Charles... or if you prefer plain ol' chuck will do." Gunn said jokingly, trying his best to sound british.

"I don't know... I like Charles." Buffy said, smiling in response to the bad accent.

"Fine... so, someone is doing some shopping?" Gunn noticed, his eyes spying the dozen or so bags filled with clothing and items of all sorts.

"Oh can you hold these? I literally can't hold anymore." Buffy said handing Gunn several large shopping bags.

"So spill it... you win the lotto? OR find that money tree people are always talking about?" Gunn said, trying to imagine where the money came from for such expensive duds. Buffy herself was resplident in a new dress, what he assumed were expensive heels, and even new jewelry.

"Better... I got a job!" Buffy said with an exuberance Gunn was not expecting.

"Thought you had a-" He began.

"I mean a better job. I'm slaying and getting paid... well sort of."

"You're slaying again?" Gunn said slightly concerned.

"Yeah... is that not ok?"

"No, it's awesome, I just... I mean it's dangerous right? You got powers, but I guess-"

"You worried about me Charles?"

"No... I mean yes. I -"

"Can we just walk?" Buffy said realizing her new friend was feeling confused.

"That, I can do." Gunn said walking alongside the blonde slayer.

...

"Wow...so they just call whenever they need you?" The tall dark Gunn said as he chatted across the table.

"I know right? I'm like a ghostbuster... accept I get a really nice place, a fat credit card, and I don't live in New York."

"Who you gonna call...?" He responded on que.

"Vampslayers!" Buff tried, causing brief eruption of laughter from the both.

There was a soft pause in the conversation as they sat across from each other, in the surprisingly quiet. Gunn was an odd contradiction to Buffy. He had a directness about him that was refreshing, but also a world weariness, the sort of edge that most have come from surviving on the streets of South L.A.. Yet for all his male bravado, there was a sensitive person there, a kindness that was difficult to ignore.

"I'm happy for you. It's good that you have a chance to... do some good." Gunn said as Buffy noticed he seem to have something else to say.

"I'm sensing a large but coming."

"What? No... well-" Gunn sputtered.

"Well?"

"It's just... I know L.A., it's not a place known for it's kindness to new people in town?" Gunn said as Buffy sipped her latte.

"What?"

"I mean, it sounds great... but it also sounds... too good."

"Too good? I didn't here you complaining when we bought those smoothies." She joked, trying to distract from the point he was coming to.

"Hey, you leave Mocha Cocoa out of this." Gunn said seriously.

"You think they're being too nice?"

"Usually I ask myself a couple of questions when someone wants to do something nice for me. What do they want, and when will they ask."

"I didn't do that to you." Buffy said with a slightly judgmental tone.

"That's what makes you a better person then me. But I'm just worried that they haven't told you about the downside yet."

"Like, there's some sort of nefarious purpose for having me become a better slayer? I can handle whatever there up to... not that they're up to anything."

"Maybe, just start asking questions." Gunn said nonchalantly.

"What will that accomplish? Annoy them into showing there the baddies?"

"My mama always told me, the fastest way to get to the truth is to ask questions. Good guys, don't mind them, because they aren't afraid of the truth. The bad guys however, questions make them uncomfortable. You find a lie? Follow it 'till it leads you to the truth. No matter how dark that truth is." He finished with a dramatic air that was just a little too much.

"Wow... that's wise. Wait did your mom really tell you that?" Buffy said, calling him on his quotes.

"More or less... coulda' been my aunt." Gunn said taking another sip of the smoothie in front of him.

"I just found a good place Charles... can't I enjoy that even a little? Does everyone have to be evil?"

"Maybe you're right. So... you uh called home yet?" He asked and took another sip.

"No. They probably don't want to hear from me.", Buffy replied

"You don't know that."

"Why do you care so much?" Buffy said flatly slightly annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I'm noisy. It's a curse."

"No... I'm sorry. Here I am getting all huffy with first genuinely nice guy I've talked to since...", there was a pause. Angel was there in her mind, smiling at her, pushing into her thoughts.

"You ok?" Gunn said pulling her out of it.

"No... just missing someone... lets talk about you." Buffy said changing the subject.

"Me? Not much to tell."

"Really? You know about vampires, you have a gang, and you squat in houses that aren't yours..."

"Technically...we borrow. It's all very bohemian." He announced roundly.

"It sounds... hard."

"Sometimes. But it's living. Not all of us can be fancy lawyers downtown. Some of us have to fight, everyday, just to make it. But that's life I guess... "

"You never just wanna get out of it?"

"All the time. But I can't... I got Alonna, the guys... they need someone that has their back. I wouldn't be alive if I didn't have a crew."

"Yeah... I get that." Buffy replied, thinking of all the times her crew had saved her. "But if you could run... just get away, where would you go?"

"Hmmm... Japan. Though I'm thinking my height would be a problem."

She laughed, and a moment later Gunn chuckled too.

...

"This was... fun."

"It was. Funny... I always thought malls were the worst." Gunn said aloud.

"Really?"

"Too many people... and I guess it's different when you have money to burn." He mentioned as he looked at the light up cellphone case Buffy had bought him.

"I'm glad you came." Buffy said, making Gunn realize the night was coming to a close as they walked towards the exit of the mall.

"Me to." He replied... There was an awkward moment that Gunn finally broke.

"Buff... you um... you take care of yourself ok? Don't let them make you do anything you aren't about." He said plainly, clearly not sure what else to say.

Buffy hugged him, a deep genuine hug in a moment that he suspected even she didn't expect.

Gunn lingered there, hugging her back, and also somewhat surprised by the strength of the hug. He looked down at her with eyes that seemed to say a million things that couldn't be said.

"I... I have to go." Gunn said after a moment. He knew that Buffy was lonely, and lonely people sometimes did things that they regretted later just to not be alone. He didn't want to be one of those things.

"Next time... lets do a movie?" she asked calmly.

"Alright, your pick... wait." He stopped himself realizing what he might have just agreed to.

"Too late..."

Then it was over, and Gunn walked away, turning back to smile at the girl once before walking off into the night. For a moment he thought he could here someone yelling his name... something in the darkening evening through the hum of traffic in the distance. Then it was gone, along with the blonde girl that was as deep and wonderful a mystery as anyone he'd ever encountered.


	11. Chapter 11: Post Notes

Chapter 11: Post Notes

Two Months earlier…

"… power my ass…" Faith quipped as she flipped back from the devastating slice through Ms. Post's limb. Faith moved back, the large sword still dripping with blood… Angel pulled her out of the way, just as the real fireworks started.

Gwendolyn Post screamed as the lightning struck her… her body was engulfed in a swirling, wrap-around of blue streaks of unnatural electricity… the pain was immense, her entire body rippling with a frenzy of electricity grows… out of control, until…

Nothing... darkness.

Ms. Post heard herself scream, almost as if she was no longer in her body. Her screams joined what seemed to be an endless void, echoing back to her again and again.

…

Then the world around her that seemed shapeless, took shape. A room, with for walls… stone floor. A fireplace… a hearth. Then a chair, a table, there came form and suddenly, she had one as well.

"What… what is-"

The room resembled an ancient castle… Moorish in design, with ornate paintings and reliefs. Outside of the room was a shapeless void still, ribbons of black and writhing gray permeating a starless night sky.

Suddenly, after what seemed like eternity a voice pierced the void.

"Found you at last…" Said a booming dark voice of a figure that presented itself in front of her…

"Wh- what are you."

"I am everything you sought with the glove… and more. I am the endless power at the end of the rainbow. The fire that animates your soul… I am the first and the last… and-"

"You come to torture me with words?" Gwendolyn said grimly.

"Impudence… I like it. My name is not important. I have seen many changes… someone is attempting to disrupt my final victory. No matter… I have you and others to shape things as I wish."

"But, I am not 'yours'." Ms. Post seemed unable to form words.

"You will do my bidding or I will leave you here… the void between all that Is and was. You think you're the first fool to use the glove and be caught betwixt and between. This is my realm… listen."

The void was not voiceless after all… but rather many voices in a mournful hollow chorus. Hundreds crying out as if in pain and agony.

"Caught here… in the flame…to everyone else you are but a cinder." The voice continued and laughed.

"My soldiers wait to be brought into the world again, for vengeance… to conquer. To reclaim that which was taken by my enemy."

"If you wish to be made whole again… to walk and breath air… then you will serve my interests, otherwise here you will remain. A fragment of a soul, rended apart again and again and again as it suits me.

"What… what must I do?"

"My acolytes will free you… and once free you will find the one called… Anne."

…

"Here she comes…"

A screech pierced the air, lightning crashed, and a bright series of bolts scarred the title floor in front of a ring of robed figures in precise position. Ms. Posts body constituted from several strikes and her lithe form fell to the ground in a heap.

She pushed herself up with one arm, looked at the other bloodied stump and then looked about the room at the gathered acolytes…

"Welcome Herald… your coming was prophesied." Said the lead figure, whose face was clearly that of a demon.

Another robed figure came forward, knelt, and pulled back her cloak to reveal a woman's face.

"Ms. Post I presume? Lilah Morgan, so glad to meet you. I know you must be a little frazzled from the trip. Dimensional travel is supposed to be worse than a redeye from Jakarta."

"Lilah, back off, give her a little air. Who knows how long it was for her in there." a roughly handsome man said as he helped her to her feet.

"Where…where am I.. now? I have to find-" Ms. Post uttered, standing up slowly.

"Right, of course, straight to business. Welcome… to Wolfram and Hart. My names Lindsey, and we've been expecting you." Lindsey said smiling broadly at her.

"First… a visit to Dr Sparrow is in order. That arm need's tending. Then we get you acclimated." Lindsey said helping the woman by wrapping a towel around her form.

"So much work to be done."


	12. Chapter 12: When it Rains

Gunn's walk home was uneventful. He kept to the usual back alleys and safe spots, keeping a look out for trouble. His mind still dwelled on the hang out with his new friend. It was strange to think that big bad Charles Gunn was in the company of a valley girl… let alone one with supernatural powers. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it all, the strangeness of the world he lived in. Vampires were just the start, there were stranger things living in LA then the blood suckers, creatures that filled him with dread, but all the same they were there.

He turned the last corner to see something mundane and yet even more terrifying. A cadre of police cars and official looking vehicles parked outside the house his crew had been squatting in. Their lights were strobing; the red and blue glowed through the night air like piercing beacons. Gunn hid behind a dumpster, keeping his eye on the house as a line of his crew was led out in hand cuffs.

"We didn't do-" Alonna started, only to be stifled by an officer who grabbed her and slammed her into the waiting car.

Two officious looking characters not dressed in police uniforms stood nearby, discussing the manner with a detective. One was a woman in a power suit, the other a finely dressed man who seemed to have a cocky posture.

"So sad to the see the youth corrupted like this." The woman said in a mockingly sad voice.

"A client of ours gave us a tip that these runaways we're involved in the assault of one of our clients. We appreciate your time officer.", the other figure said.

"Don't mention it, we're just doing our jobs, we've got them on standard B&E, two outstanding warrants, but we didn't get the leader. They all claimed up. Maybe a little time in 'juvi' will make them more forthcoming."

"Well, if you get any leads… here's our number", the man said, extending his hand with a card.

"Wolfram & Hart?" The lead officer said. "Good people, helped get my brother off last year from the unnecessary force bullcrap. When a perp cops a 'tude a good knife stick is in order."

"Sure thing, I mean a dozen blows to the face to a compliant suspect might seem excessive to some, but you've got to break a few eggs am I right?" The female lawyer responded jokingly, but it was clear the humor was missed by the officer who simply nodded.

Gunn could only crouch and watch as the cars drove off. Powerless to protect his folks, as the lights of the police cars faded into the distance.

...

The police car rolled along steadily to the closest Juvenile hall, the two male officers in front. Alonna sat with hot tears streaking down her face. She'd laid down in a fetal position in the backseat, feeling defeated. They'd had zero warning that the police were going to pick that night to come after them. They'd had run in's before, but usually the police just hassled them, and then moved on to more important business. This time they came in force, as if they we're sent with a purpose.

She struggled in the cuffs for a few moments, managing to unlock one of them...

"What's the world coming to… got squatters and crazy dog attacks… every night it's something crazy."

"You hear about Jensen and 18th precinct?", the younger officer was fiddling with the radio, trying his best to zero something in.

"No." The seasoned officer with a heavy build responded, almost as if he didn't care to hear.

"Found him stone cold in an alley on 123rd."

"Jensen was an idiot, still she didn't deserve that-"

"But that's not the crazy part. Blood drained, just like that other fella last week", the younger officer recounted the story in horror.

"Damn freaks… ain't enough to kill us, they got do some crazy voodoo sh-"

Just then something smashed the windshield from an overpass above.

"The hell!" the officer driving bellowed, as the car screeched to a stop. Alonna froze, wondering what was happening.

"Dispatch, we've got a … I don't know what we've got-?"The seasoned officer, whose thick mustache seemed to twitch in fear.

"What… what is that?" The second officer said as they both observed a something on the overpass behind them. The officers exited the vehicle, and a few moments passed.  
Then two shots rang out and Alonna screamed. A second passed, and then another. Then she heard a muffled cry that was silenced by what sounded like a broken snap.  
The door to the driver side of the cruiser swung open. A woman about her size with blonde hair slipped into the car. The hot neon hair barrette, and the smell of decay hit Alonna as the first things wrong.

"Who… who the hell are you?"

"Name's Sunday, but today I'm your own personal savior." The girl said with a flair.

"Saving me? From Juvi?" Alonna asked, hoping that her initial instinct was wrong.

"Sure, when I'm finished, you want ever have to worry about them ever again…", The girl turned and smiled, revealing a perfect pair of fangs and a face to match.

Alonna screamed, and then desperately clawed at the door.

"No!"

"Buckle up sweetie…. It's going to be a long night." The girl said clearly enjoying herself as she started the car up, and sped off.

...

"Ms. Summers are you listening?"

"Huh?"

Buffy looked down to her notepad, and observed the various doddles she completed while Ms. Post had droned on about the next operation. There was 'Mr Pointy', figures that seemed to represent the ol' gang, Gunn with a crossbow killing a tentacle thingy, and a particular drawing of Giles with a bubble coming from his head that read "blimey!"  
"Distracted this morning are we?" Ms. Post cocked her head to the side as she turned from the white board where she'd been drawing a diagram of the next operation. The small briefing room was painted white, with dozens of clinical diagrams of demons and previous operation plans hung on the walls. Three chairs lined up in front of the Watcher's desk, almost like a mock classroom.

"No, just, you know, super excited for the next mission."Buffy said in a chipper voice with fake bravado. She shifted in her seat realizing her mind hadn't been on the work since her conversation with Gunn.

"Really, then perhaps you can tell me the target again?" Ms. Post countered, folding her arms.

"Um… the bad guy?", Buffy replied, sitting in her black tactical gear.

"Buffy, is something bothering you?" Ms. Post inquired gently.

"It's just.." the nagging thought of Gunn finally took root.

"Why do we always ...? We...never get into the why."

"The 'why' is because they are evil, surely Mr. Giles taught you that." Ms. Post replied, as she moved past the security image of a giant horned demon with green skin on what looked like a raised stage.

"He taught me that I'm supposed to destroy evil. But sometimes it isn't so simple."

"You don't trust me or the council?"

"No… I do, it's just-"

"Buffy, sometimes to be a good soldier means not trying to overthink the mission. We have a job to do… we do… and we go on to the next. Getting emotional-"

"I'm not emotional… I just want-" Buffy began to really feel something was up.

"You are the slayer, a living weapon in the fight against evil. When you hesitate, people die; you of all people know full well what I mean." Ms. Post said as she sat down across from Buffy.

Buffy demurred, remembering the loss of Kendra and Ms. Calendar, and even angel.

"Now, I understand you feel put out by the lack of detail. Believe me, the things we kill are evil, and if you hesitate, if you fail, they will unleash death and destruction on a scale hither to undreamt of." Ms. Post finished, placing a wooden stake on the desk in front of Buffy.

"Now shall we continue."

Buffy nodded.

"And buffy… we're all so pro-  
The phone in her pocket buzzed… her attention on Ms. Post suddenly shifted. The phone pulling her from the strange mantra that Ms. Post was spouting.

"Wha-?" Buffy half asked….feeling something snap in her mind.

"Snap out of it!" she heard someone say. She turned to see Willow sitting in a strange pose in the middle of the room. Ms. Post seemed frozen.

"This isn't right…this isn't how it's supposed to be." Willow said then vanished, all at once.

A second buzz.

The walls of schematics and images changed. Instead of demons the faces of her targets contorted into normal people. The names had changed too. "Demon Nest" became "Watchers Hideout"..."Vampire Tomb"... became "Rival Firm". The operation in front of her changed as well. The raging green monster wore a suit now... and the operation was called " _ **Eliminate Caritas**_ "

Ms. Post was no longer addressing her, but rather speaking to three figures in the corner. It was if time itself had been altered.

"Dr. Sparrow... you sure She's out, completely?" The other woman asked.

"Yes, the weeks of magical conditioning make her every move controllable. We can put her into a trance whenever needed. You dealt with her 'distraction'."

"Mr. Gunn is in the wind. His crew however is locked up with the rest of the little hoodlum's. It's only a matter of time 'till we have him," The shorter man said succinctly.

"Good, it's possible she's formed an attachment to him, we can use that... I don't want there to be any possible cause for a break in the conditioning." Ms. Post said collapsing the metal pointer she'd been using.

"No concern about this little outburst?", he continued.

"None… her past unconfronted trauma makes it easy to keep her docile. If that fails, she has other triggers. Trust me, her pouting is nothing to worry about." Ms. Post said matter-of-factly, confident in herself.

"You managed to turn the slayer into a guided smart bomb. Well done. Or boss is impressed." The taller woman said nodding in appreciation.

"Seems like a tiger on a string if you ask me. So you have a puppet slayer, big deal." The second figure said, as Buffy strained to hear.

"The biggest of 'deals' Lindsey. The prophecies this girl is supposed to fulfill are huge, without her, the picture changes, but with her on our side, well let's just say we can make a real impact." The woman said, almost gleeful.

"Stage three will involve replacing her soul, and complete facial reconstruction. Once we get her with a more… cooperative spirit shall we say, we won't even need triggers any more." Dr. Sparrow continued. She walked over to Buffy's side… snapped her fingers. Buffy remained motionless, pretending to be out of it.

"Get this, she heals so fast, I think she could be in the field a day after the procedure." Dr. Sparrow, said with even more glee.

"God, what I wouldn't give-" Lilah countered.

"My benefactor has assured me that with her under my control, its agenda is first." Ms. Post added, seemingly wary of the woman.

"Of course, the firm is more than willing to give you carte blanche as long as we get her when you're done. Keep us up to date." Lilah responded.

Time seemed to slip, and Ms. Post was back front and center of the briefing room.

"Oh… and Buffy… we're so proud of you." Ms. Post said her arms folded, and awaiting her reply. Buffy faked a smile, doing her best to hide her horror.


	13. Chapter 13: It Pours

There were days… and then there we're days. This was the second type of day Gun thought.

"Tel em... Far... na!" the foul beast growled as it turned to threaten Gunn as he dodged another slice of the creatures sharp claws. "It's coming again!" a young woman who Gunn had decided to try and save despite his severe lack of partners.

The beast had been making trouble for one of the local gangs, killing street walkers and the homeless for weeks and Gunn had agreed to kill it for a small fee and resources for his crew. It was a tidy arrangement, convenient even, though perhaps not the smartest deal. Now however, with no crew, and on the run, the damn thing was the last creature that Gunn wanted to tangle with. His plan was to get underground, find a place to hold up, and see if he could locate Alonna and the rest. The creature didn't seem interested in his plans.

Gunn took a swing with a crude axe, and as it his home in the creatures back, the creature reared back, extending it's seven foot frame and swiping the young man in the face with a backhand sending him flying backwards into a row of rusty metal barrels.

"No!" the woman yelled, watching in horror as the beast now turned towards her.

"Yo!" Gun cried out, rallying as best he could but clearly losing steam, "Over here you ugly lookin'-" The creature bellowed, seemingly pissed off by the insult. "Who you calling ugly?"

Gunn swallowed hard, he hadn't expected this thing to know English.

"I don't know, maybe it's the fangs the size of bananas, the pig snout... or the fact you eat hands and other body parts of innocent folks?"

"Ugly…how about your beady little eyes, or those gross things you call ears…two holes in the side of your head, I mean what's that about?" The creature bellowed sardonically as it moved towards the figure of Gunn. A hint of purple blood dripped from the wound that Gunn had inflicted on it's exposed chest.

"Ok…that's fair." Gunn held his ground, as he recovered, Gunn decided to play for time. He gave the woman a look that told her to get going. The woman got to her feet, and made a b-line for the exit.

"I mean I'm minding my own business, getting some grub- then some witch summons me and tells me she wants her boyfriend and the who he cheated with dead. You humans and your grudges…"

"You ever consider I don't know… not eatin' people?" Gunn offered, backing up slowly, reaching down to grab one of the items from his backpack that had been strewn on the ground in the first few moments of the fight.

"I'm a Grellom Demon... I eat hands and inflict vengeance, what am I supposed to do starve?... then a bunch of gangbangers show up, and start giving me grief. So shoot me for fighting back."

"Ok." Gunn signaled who took aim with a crossbow, the bolt was loosed, and pierced the creatures eye. The demon reared back in pain, and retreated, smashing it's way out of the old warehouse and shambling into the dark night too fast to follow.

"Damn humans..." it bellowed as it ambled off.

...

"You better go I have a feeling he won't be back for a while. You're safe now" Gunn said as he looked over to the direction the woman had fled when he gave her chance.

"No… she bloody well isn't." said a voice from the darkness beyond. A figure came forward, carrying the woman with him. He held her close and in a swift move wiped his lips from the crimson stain left there. The figure was lean, clad in a black leather coat, and the bleached blonde hair seem to almost shine when he stepped into the artificial light of the warehouse.

Gunn tightened his fist, enraged by the assault on someone he had just saved. The creep was clearly a vampire, the accent marked him as not a local however.

"Didn't realize the suckheads were brave enough to show their face alone in this hood. Let alone limey ones. What happened you needed better dental then got turned around at the Hollywood sign?" Gunn said, angry but recognizing that this thing was a little different from the rest.

"You fight well, and I'm not easily impressed. No crew, no hope, no future, no possible way to win, and here you are, 'do-gooding' it's damned inspiring." The vampire replied, almost smiling at him.

"You got a purpose here, 'cause you gotta about five seconds before I dust your-" Gunn said moving forward with a careful approach.

"Ah, ah... careful now Charles, she's only half drained, one quick move and I will snap her like a twig, unless you give me what I want." The creep kept his hand on the neck of the woman who was now squirming pitifully.

Gunn eased back a little. "You know me?" He asked, unaware of who this was. "Man you vamps' are all the same, threat, bite, threat, bite. You gotta name, or should I just call you a little bit-" Gunn said defiantly.

"Spike… or if you prefer William the Bloody." He said grandly.

"That supposed to scare me?" Gunn replied quickly.

"It's my name genius. Now, I need information about the Slayer, and do be quick, you don't want me to get bored."

"'Slayer'? I can't keep track of the British punk scene, what with cd's bein' so damn expensive…you tried Tower Records?" Gunn said, feigning ignorance.

"Don't play dumb, I can smell her all over you. Congratulations by the way, there's a broody chap somewhere in another dimension who'd be very jealous. I want to know where she is. Tangled with the poor mans' substitute in Sunnydale, and she's not the one who I need to kill. Turns out she's in LA. Which leaves me really in a spot of bother, and so here I am. Now I could find her the old-fashioned way which could take days, lots of corpses, fun but time consuming… if you catch my meaning?"

Gunn simply nodded… carefully surmising any possible way he could get the drop on the blonde vampire who showed no sign of weakness. "This monologue gotta point, or are you just naturally longwinded?"

"Or-" He twitched slightly causing the woman in his clutches to cry in pain. Gunn grimaced slightly, as the creature continued. "I use a handy little trick, which is go to where the Vamps are at." The vampire said seeming to know way more then Gunn could guess. The ignorant act wasn't going to work. He looked at his watch, and that back to the peroxided punk.

"And? You come up empty?" Gunn said, edging towards his backpack and an exposed cross laying in the open contents.

"Something's off, no slayer in the usual haunts, her scent is being masked maybe by something mystical. Except then I get a sniff of her, coming from your little domicile. Now, I know you were with her, so spill… and maybe I'll let your little friend here walk without finishing my meal."

"Let her go, and we'll talk." Gunn said as the woman's life still hung in the balance.

"So predictable. Fine then Lost Boy. Lets' see what Buffy sees in you. Her last boyfriend was more of a chump then you at any rate."

Spike dropped the woman, and as she scampered off he and made a little gesture to Gunn that baited him forward. Gunn rushed forward, striking the air where the creep had been. He was fast, faster than even Gunn had guessed.

"You know… I think I'll just beat you to a bloody pulp, then torture you until you scream what you know, or maybe just 'till you can't scream anymore. Choices choices." The vamp said sardonically.

Gunn got one blow in on his face, but the victory was brief, as a moment later the vampire locked his arm behind him and shoved him into a nearby column. Gunn got up dazed, trying to rally, but he couldn't dodge another punch to his midsection. The blow sent him backwards into some plastic containers. Spike quickly gathered him up, holding him in an arm lock position with his superior strength.

"Too easy, I have to say, you are way out of your league nancy-boy. You have real heart though… what do they say in the hood? 'Respec'?" The vamp replied, taunting him.

Gunn made a move he didn't expect, pulling his arm towards himself and then rolling forward, He used the blonde vampires strength against him, causing the vampire to come forward freeing his arm, then shoving backwards he pushed the fanged menace towards the ground.

He bounced up, clearly upset that he'd lost his advantage. Gunn now attacked with a furious barrage of swings, missing again and again, the British vamp dodging each strike, as if he could see it coming. Each time he missed, Gunn grew even more pissed off.

"You're getting angry...come now, you can do better than this. If the slayer likes you, no chance you're this hapless and feeble." The creature taunted.

"Why go out of your way to kill some random girl, she ain't botherin' you. She got problems of her own." Gunn said backing off, catching his breath and looking to leave this encounter that he was clearly over-matched for.

"She's not just a girl you dolt. She's the reason I lost my edge… I've killed every slayer who's crossed my path. But she, she got away. She's the reason a woman who I love more than anything you could possibly imagine has lost faith in me. I'm here to rectify my mistake. I'm here because of love, something a little hoodlum like yourself can't understand. Someone like you doesn't love anything or anyone… except himself." He said spitefully.

Gunn angrily unleashed a furious punch that finally caught the blonde vamp directly in the face, dazing him. Gunn kneed him in the midsection staggering the vamp and then came at him withdrawing a stake from a hidden spot near his ankle. But the creep stopped the stake by grabbing Gunn's arm flashing a toothy grin at his adversary, and flipping him over into stack of heavy wooden boxes and through a weak door that was falling of it's hinges to start with and into the early morning.

"Now… that was more like it. Must-a hit a sore spot eh' Charlie-boy? Could be you do understand, that love will make you do insane things, things that will carve your heart into a million pieces. I'll save you the trouble however." Spike said triumphantly, approaching Gunn's position on the ground.

This time Gunn didn't get up quickly, and the light blue line on the hazy horizon, couldn't have a come a moment too soon. He got to his knees and prayed for the dawn to move just a little quicker as the first peaks of sunlight pierced the clear sky.

Spike withdrew, baring his teeth angrily, realizing that time wasn't on his side.

"Well… this is a pity." Spike said with a growl.

"What's wrong? Oh, that's right, you and Mr. Sunshine ain't tight like that." Gunn mocked, the upper hand finally his, though his ego and body was still bruised.

"I could kill twice you way before the first ray touched me and be gone before you hit the ground. However you're not who I'm here for. Nice dance moves, you could live to be trouble someday if you're smart enough to take my offer." Spike said retreating slowly.

"Roof top, 132nd and Normandie at midnight tomorrow. You bring the slayer... alone, no tricks or I will kill everyone and everything you love." Spike said gleefully, in moments he was gone as well, leaving Gunn to lick his actual wounds.

...

Gunn made it to a park bench nearby, and sat now breathing hard into the cool morning air. Too much was happening, his crew gone, his life upside down, and now some weirdo in leather jacket was after his new friend. Was this what her life was like… he'd known life was crazy especially Tuesdays after 8pm and now Tuesdays after seven pm were even worse. He needed help, advice, or possibly an Abrams tank. It felt as if the universe was tiltied against him. It was then that a greenish fella came to mind.

Gunn hesitated to consider going to someone who was likely a demon, but considering his options as a guy on a bench with nothing but a backpack, bruises, and no hope, his options were few.


End file.
